(According to Bob Hagin, the sport/utility vehicle business is very
hot and very profitable for automakers. Matt Hagin agrees, and says it's
especially lucrative for those makers who aim for the high-end market.
This week the Hagins review Infiniti's entry, the QX4.)

MATT - In the past couple of years, there's been a rush by the auto-
makers to get in on the sport/utility vehicle craze and now Infiniti has
gotten there, too. It's gene pool obviously spawned its Nissan sibling,
the Pathfinder, but there's enough upscale differences to make it
attractive to carriage-trade buyers who have developed a taste for
roughing it. The only interior options are heated front seats, a power
tilt-and-slide sun roof, power-operated tilt steering and the leather
upholstery color, since there's no cloth seating available.

BOB - I have mixed emotions about all those creature comforts, Matt.
To me a sport/utility vehicle is primarily designed to go either into
rough terrain or over very inhospitable roads. And despite its fancy
trimmings, this QX4 seems capable of getting its occupants over that
type of terrain with a minimum of fuss and bother. It has a three-
position control knob on the dash that allows the driver to engage
rear-wheel-drive around town and during normal highway conditions.
Another position powers an electronically-controlled system that senses
any differences in how well the tires are gripping the road. If one of
the wheels begins to spin on icy, wet or gravelly roads, it applies more
power to the tires that are able to grip. That way, when the 4WD system
doesn't need to work, it reverts to 2WD, which saves gas and keeps tire
scrub to a minimum. And what's really amazing is that it all happens so
quickly and smoothly, the driver can't even feel the system working.

MATT - I know that you don't like the idea of going off-road, Dad,
but the QX4 also has a position on the drive control switch that locks
all the wheels together. In addition, there's a floor-mounted lever that
puts the whole thing into super-low gearing for grinding through sand or
across streams. The one we tested had the optional limited-slip rear
differential, which would be a big help in crawling through the
boondocks, although Tom and I didn't have the time or the opportunity to
try it out. All QX4s carry the Nissan 3.3 liter, single overhead cam V6
that seems to have been tuned for good mid-speed power, not for blinding
acceleration. But the QX4 really shines during everyday driving. It's
heavy on the "sport" part of sport/utility, which means it handles
around town much like a sedan - except that it's much taller. The Bose
sound system is outstanding and was custom-designed so that everyone
inside gets the same level of listening quality, even at full blast.

BOB - That doesn't mean a whole lot to me Matt since it's well-known
that I have a tin ear. The best thing I found about the sound system was
that the controls were easy to reach and were close to the heater and
air conditioning knobs. And they were all in logical places so I didn't
have to fumble around trying to find them. The rear seats fold down in a
60/40 split in case the owner wants to pick up some 2x4 fence boards on
the way home from the office. And if he or she wants to get a bunch of
concrete to pour around the fence posts or make a quick trip to the
dumps, the QX4 is capable of towing 5000 pounds of the stuff when its
equipped with the proper trailering package.

MATT - Somehow I don't think that the average QX4 owner is going to
be making garbage runs, Dad, since the company is aiming for the high-
income buyer. But the owner of a QX4 will be happy to know that the
thing can pull some impressive loads - like maybe a boat or travel
trailer. The company's goals also include having its dealers make
Infiniti owners feel like honored guests when they bring their vehicles
in for service. A friend of mine works as a line-mechanic at our local
Infiniti dealership and he says that the policy really works.

BOB - That's the way it was when I worked as a dealership mechanic
when I was young, Matt. The customer was always right and we always
washed the cars and vacuumed them out, too.